Butternut Squash & Swiss Chard Lasagna

In this hearty vegan and gluten-free lasagna I used a mixture of shiitake and white button mushrooms, fresh rosemary and tarragon, swiss chard, homemade sauce (so easy!!!), tofu “cheese”, and squash. The flavor and texture are excellent, everything you’d want from a meal on a cold winter day.

This lasagna, like most, is done in parts. You’ve got your roasted squash, sauce, veggies, and tofu “cheese”. If you like to cook, this meal with bring you lots of joy in the kitchen. If you don’t think of yourself as a cook, give it a try anyway. Each step is easy as pie, and the result is well worth the minimal effort and time.

Can’t get your hands on swiss chard–or any other chard? Use spinach, kale, or collards. If you’re not a fan of butternut squash, use zucchini instead. Recipe contributed by Jenné Claiborne from Sweet Potato Soul. Photos by Sydney Bensimon.

Serves: 4 generous portions

Olive oil
Sea salt
1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved and thinly sliced in half-moon shapes (about ¼ inch thick); or two small butternuts (note, if your knives aren't sharp enough to cut raw squash, see tips for a workaround in this post)
14-oz can plain tomato sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoon Italian herb dried spice
1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
4 cups of your favorite mushrooms (I used shiitake and white button), sliced
4 cups swiss chard, ribs removed, washed, & chopped
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (if you like heat)
1 block firm organic tofu
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350° F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss ysliced butternut squash with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and spread the squash onto the baking sheet. If it doesn’t all fit use a second baking sheet, or layer it. Roast for 30 minutes, until tender, but not too mushy.

Sauce:
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, and cook until golden (be careful not to burn it).

Reduce the heat, and carefully pour the tomato sauce into the pan. It might start to pop, so keep the lid nearby. Stir the garlic and sauce, then add the nutritional yeast, herbs and black pepper. Cover, and allow the sauce to cook while you work on the next part.

Swiss Chard & Mushrooms:
Heat a tablespoon, or two, of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch of sea salt, and stir. The cooking will draw the moisture out of the mushrooms, so don’t worry if the pan seems too dry. Once they’ve begun to sweat (moisten), add the swiss chard, tarragon, and rosemary. Stir well, and remove from heat.

Tofu “Cheese”:
Break the tofu up and place it in a food processor. Process until smooth, then add the nutritional yeast, vinegar and salt. Process again to incorporate it all, and taste to see if you need to add any more salt.

Assemble the Lasagna:
Now that you’ve got all the parts complete you can assemble the lasagna.

To do this you will place a layer of squash on the bottom of the baking dish. Follow that with some of the “cheese”, follow that with some of the mushroom mix (squeeze excess liquid from the mushrooms and greens before layering), then the sauce, then the squash again.

Continue to layer the ingredients until you’ve used them all. Use about ½ cup of “cheese”, sauce and mushrooms on each layer. I like my top layer to have all the ingredients visible.

Place the lasagna back in the oven and bake for 40 minutes (or 30 if you just can’t wait).

Jenné Claiborne is a vegan personal chef in NYC. She also creates recipes, videos, and share my passion for healthy vegan eating on this blog. She has created an online program called the 21-Day Vegan Blueprint, and an e-cookbook, 5 Ingredient Vegan.